Thursday, March 31, 2005
News Bits
A busy day in news, and it just 8.30 on the West Coast:
Ted Koppel retiring from ABC News after 25 years.
A presidential commission reporting that US Intelligence was Dead Wrong on Iraq.
Pope still wants to keep on living, no matter the physical condition.
More Iraq bombings.
Almost a million and a half Mercedes are being recalled.
And all will be overshadowed by Schiavo finally, finally dying.
Ted Koppel retiring from ABC News after 25 years.
A presidential commission reporting that US Intelligence was Dead Wrong on Iraq.
Pope still wants to keep on living, no matter the physical condition.
More Iraq bombings.
Almost a million and a half Mercedes are being recalled.
And all will be overshadowed by Schiavo finally, finally dying.
The Blog of the Bayster
This is going around, it seems. Giving credit where it is due, I came across the mention via Defamer.com (which I just happened to click to during a moment of utter boredom at work, as I have tired of the absolute sameness of his commentary) - Micheal Bay's Blog. There are some truly funny people out there.
The Pope and the Tube
Say It Ain't So, 'cause I don't think the American populace, let alone The Whole Wide World (a small plug for an early Renee Zellweger film), can handle another grand-scale, Schiavo-like debacle with the Pope playing the lead.
From a fresh-off-the-wires Reuters story, which is here, at least for now:
PARIS (Reuters) - Pope John Paul, now being fed through a nasal tube because of his throat problems, effectively wrote his own "living will" last year in a speech declaring some life-extending treatments a moral duty for Roman Catholics.
(skip)
This indicates he would want to be kept alive by artificial means even if he fell into a coma or a persistent vegetative state, such as the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo in the United States whose feeding tubes have been removed after 15 years.
And speaking of Schiavo, here blog can be found here.
From a fresh-off-the-wires Reuters story, which is here, at least for now:
PARIS (Reuters) - Pope John Paul, now being fed through a nasal tube because of his throat problems, effectively wrote his own "living will" last year in a speech declaring some life-extending treatments a moral duty for Roman Catholics.
(skip)
This indicates he would want to be kept alive by artificial means even if he fell into a coma or a persistent vegetative state, such as the brain-damaged Terri Schiavo in the United States whose feeding tubes have been removed after 15 years.
And speaking of Schiavo, here blog can be found here.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
The SNL / Schiavo connection
During a conversation yesterday about the Schiavo fiasco completely hijacking the news for the past 2-plus weeks, a friend mentioned an old Saturday Night Live episode he remembered seeing when he was a kid in which John Belushi plays a comatose patient whose parents want to unplug his life support.
Without giving away too much else away, read this short transcript – it is scary how appropriate it is to what has been going on. I only wish I could find the video clip – in addition to Belushi, Jane Curtin and Bill Murray play the parents, Steve Martin the Doctor in the February 26th, 1977 skit called Pull the Plug. The host was Steve Martin, musical guests were The Kinks.
Without giving away too much else away, read this short transcript – it is scary how appropriate it is to what has been going on. I only wish I could find the video clip – in addition to Belushi, Jane Curtin and Bill Murray play the parents, Steve Martin the Doctor in the February 26th, 1977 skit called Pull the Plug. The host was Steve Martin, musical guests were The Kinks.
In Memory of the Mid-1980s, Cont.
Two of the hundreds of so-called Digital Content Providers, Tulip Computers and Yeahronimo Media Ventures, sent out a press release proclaiming a finalization of their purchase of the Commodore Computer brand name. In a follow-up to the Crowded House post below, here is another reminder of the glorious 80s, directly from the Commodore press release:
Commodore was originally founded as the first company that offered an affordable home computer to the masses: first, launching the $300 VIC 20 color computer in 1981 and the Commodore 64, the best-selling computer in history, just one year later. In 1985, Commodore bought Amiga Inc. and introduced the world's first multimedia computer, the Amiga 1000. In addition to its staple of video games, the Commodore 64 and Amiga 1000 set the standard for cost-conscious computing throughout the 1980s.
Commodore was originally founded as the first company that offered an affordable home computer to the masses: first, launching the $300 VIC 20 color computer in 1981 and the Commodore 64, the best-selling computer in history, just one year later. In 1985, Commodore bought Amiga Inc. and introduced the world's first multimedia computer, the Amiga 1000. In addition to its staple of video games, the Commodore 64 and Amiga 1000 set the standard for cost-conscious computing throughout the 1980s.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Crowded House
Driving on the 10 from Downtown just after midnight (after not being able to get an extra ticket to the very last sold-out entry into the Body Worlds exhibit at the CA Science Center), heard on KFWB 980 that Paul Hester, the drummer from Crowded House, committed suicide in Australia. Now, I did not even know that Crowded House was from Australia, let alone the names of the members of the group, but I sure as hell remember their composition Don't Dream It's Over . It very, very clearly reminds me of 1985-1986, a period I remember most, most fondly. I even did a little Yahoo! search to see when it was released - June 1986 (I would have bet it was in 1985). It is always sad when something from your youth disappears.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
The Daffodils and the Macaroons
Use number 768 for the waterproof Manischewitz Macaroon can this time of year. The Daffodils are 99 cents for 10, while they last, at Trader Joe's. Macaroons are to be found at Ralphs or Vons for the same price.
Never has the kitchen window looked so Architectural Digest-like before.
Never has the kitchen window looked so Architectural Digest-like before.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
A Real Maverick
A real maverick, a type we see less and less of (see previous post). Read recent news articles on Bobby Fischer's ordeal here.
Frank Rich NY Times Media Article
Great article on the current state of media and censorship. You need a registration log-on for the nytimes.com site, which you can get here if you do not have one of your own (although I highly recommend getting one for future use - an internet essential, I believe).
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Tirelessly Promoting
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The Flying Bat and Going Batty
My spiel on the US government and Roids in Baseball, the US government and the shriveling Schiavo, and other news-bits tonight. But first, please enjoy this fantastic moment from Monday's Twins-Marlins game -
Interesting how differently people react to the same exact situation - but I don’t want to give away the thrust of tonight's essay.
Interesting how differently people react to the same exact situation - but I don’t want to give away the thrust of tonight's essay.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
First photo on blog
Too bad it is not rosier. This is the aftermath of a drive-by across the street from work at about 5.30 PM on March 16. The guy was hit 6 times by two guys on bicycles. The little white triangles are casing markings. At least 11 found by those LAPDers. Was taken away by ambulance - no word if he survived. I love L.A.
In Cold Blood
Now that Robert Blake has been found to be innocent of the killing, we can again enjoy his acting masterpiece with no stigma. Click on post title for image of film poster.
Best current news quote
I emailed this to a couple of people earlier, but still no less amusing. Take special note of the paragraph in red - Is the Cardinal talking about The Da Vince Code or the Bible?
Original is here.
Top Cardinal Blasts 'Da Vinci Code' as 'Cheap Lies'
Tue Mar 15, 1:02 PM ET
By Philip Pullella
ROME (Reuters) - A top Catholic cardinal has blasted "The Da Vinci Code" as a "gross and absurd" distortion of history and said Catholic bookstores should take the bestseller off their shelves because it is full of "cheap lies."
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in an interview with the Milan newspaper Il Giornale, became the highest ranking Italian Churchman to speak out against the book, an international blockbuster that has sold millions of copies. "(It) aims to discredit the Church and its history through gross and absurd manipulations," Bertone, the archbishop of the northern Italian city of Genoa and a close friend of Pope John Paul (news - web sites) told the paper in its Monday edition.
"This seems like a throwback to the old anti-clerical pamphlets of the 1800s," he said.
The central claim of the book, written by American Dan Brown, is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children. The Bible says Jesus never married, was crucified and rose from the dead.
Bertone's comments were significant because until the Pope named him archbishop of Genoa in 2003 he was for years the number two man at the Vatican (news - web sites)'s most powerful department - the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"You can find that book everywhere and the risk is that many people who read it believe that those fairy tales are real," he said. "I think I have the responsibility to clear things up to unmask the cheap lies contained in books like that."
HOLY GRAIL
A central storyline of the book is that the Holy Grail is not the cup which Christ is said to have used at the Last Supper but really the bloodline descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Bertone calls this idea "a perversion."
Bertone is so incensed about the novel that he will be the key speaker at a roundtable in Genoa Wednesday night attempting to dismantle the book, which also accuses the Church of covering up the female role in Christianity.
"I will try to clear things up and help form consciences," the cardinal said.
"I think that when faced with affirmations that are so shameful and unfounded, readers who have even a minimum of basic (Christian) formation should react," he said.
He said it was "sad" that even Catholic bookstores were selling The Da Vinci Code "for purely economic reasons."
One bookstore selling "The Da Vinci Code" is the one in the Gemelli Hospital, a Catholic institution where the Pope spent a total of 28 days in two stints in February and March.
In the interview, Bertone firmly rejected the book's claim that the feminine role in Christianity had been suppressed.
"This is one of the most vulgar of inventions. The feminine element is present in all the Gospels," Bertone said.
Bertone also strongly defended Opus Dei, the conservative Church organization that the book depicts as a ruthless, Machiavellian group that resorts even to murder in its attempt to keep the Church's secrets hidden.
The novel is going to reach an even wider audience next year with the release of a film based on the book staring Tom Hanks (news).
Original is here.
Top Cardinal Blasts 'Da Vinci Code' as 'Cheap Lies'
Tue Mar 15, 1:02 PM ET
By Philip Pullella
ROME (Reuters) - A top Catholic cardinal has blasted "The Da Vinci Code" as a "gross and absurd" distortion of history and said Catholic bookstores should take the bestseller off their shelves because it is full of "cheap lies."
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in an interview with the Milan newspaper Il Giornale, became the highest ranking Italian Churchman to speak out against the book, an international blockbuster that has sold millions of copies. "(It) aims to discredit the Church and its history through gross and absurd manipulations," Bertone, the archbishop of the northern Italian city of Genoa and a close friend of Pope John Paul (news - web sites) told the paper in its Monday edition.
"This seems like a throwback to the old anti-clerical pamphlets of the 1800s," he said.
The central claim of the book, written by American Dan Brown, is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children. The Bible says Jesus never married, was crucified and rose from the dead.
Bertone's comments were significant because until the Pope named him archbishop of Genoa in 2003 he was for years the number two man at the Vatican (news - web sites)'s most powerful department - the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"You can find that book everywhere and the risk is that many people who read it believe that those fairy tales are real," he said. "I think I have the responsibility to clear things up to unmask the cheap lies contained in books like that."
HOLY GRAIL
A central storyline of the book is that the Holy Grail is not the cup which Christ is said to have used at the Last Supper but really the bloodline descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Bertone calls this idea "a perversion."
Bertone is so incensed about the novel that he will be the key speaker at a roundtable in Genoa Wednesday night attempting to dismantle the book, which also accuses the Church of covering up the female role in Christianity.
"I will try to clear things up and help form consciences," the cardinal said.
"I think that when faced with affirmations that are so shameful and unfounded, readers who have even a minimum of basic (Christian) formation should react," he said.
He said it was "sad" that even Catholic bookstores were selling The Da Vinci Code "for purely economic reasons."
One bookstore selling "The Da Vinci Code" is the one in the Gemelli Hospital, a Catholic institution where the Pope spent a total of 28 days in two stints in February and March.
In the interview, Bertone firmly rejected the book's claim that the feminine role in Christianity had been suppressed.
"This is one of the most vulgar of inventions. The feminine element is present in all the Gospels," Bertone said.
Bertone also strongly defended Opus Dei, the conservative Church organization that the book depicts as a ruthless, Machiavellian group that resorts even to murder in its attempt to keep the Church's secrets hidden.
The novel is going to reach an even wider audience next year with the release of a film based on the book staring Tom Hanks (news).
Monday, March 14, 2005
Marathon Page
Ok, so the page will be up and running tonight, except for a problem. As it is hosted by my free Geocities account, and the page has lots of photos, I have been hit with a bandwidth warning. As I was building the page, I would look to see how it was turning out, and was notified that I reached my limit. This is cause for alarm, as I am planning on sending the link to a lot of peeps.
Anyway, please be forewarned that you may get a message that the site is down for an hour due to a bandwidth limit. Please check back if that turns out to be the case. Lots of stuff to see.
Also, this post will be the only place to leave comments, so please do so.
web building night
Committed to get as much done on the marathon and evites before the Charlie Rose Show at 11.30 on PBS. He has on a very gray John Patrick Shanley, who I remember as a boyish screenwriter and playwright from the late 80s. Just shows what almost 20 years
does to a person.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
and so...
Okay, okay, the two peeps who read this. Sometime this week, expect additions and revisions.
Firstly, working on the SW Evite for May 19. Should go out in a day or two.
Secondly, finishing the Marathon Photo page. Gave the thumb drive to Will for him to transfer a details SW trailer, forgetting that it also houses some of the official marathon photos (by those fuckers who charge 14.00 for a 5by7 print of the runners. )
Lastly, will (ha ha) start posting little musings, starting with how I love Macaroons, especially when they are 0.99 at Ralphs and Vons this time of year. Manischewitz contain more than just the natural ingredients, as opposed to Streit's, which only has the essentials. But, as is always the case with food, the Manischewitz ones have a little more flavour and varieties - Chocolate Chink Cherry, anyone? And one does not have to be a Jew to enjoy them.
Also, for those keeping score, please notice the sparse use of parentheticals.
Firstly, working on the SW Evite for May 19. Should go out in a day or two.
Secondly, finishing the Marathon Photo page. Gave the thumb drive to Will for him to transfer a details SW trailer, forgetting that it also houses some of the official marathon photos (by those fuckers who charge 14.00 for a 5by7 print of the runners. )
Lastly, will (ha ha) start posting little musings, starting with how I love Macaroons, especially when they are 0.99 at Ralphs and Vons this time of year. Manischewitz contain more than just the natural ingredients, as opposed to Streit's, which only has the essentials. But, as is always the case with food, the Manischewitz ones have a little more flavour and varieties - Chocolate Chink Cherry, anyone? And one does not have to be a Jew to enjoy them.
Also, for those keeping score, please notice the sparse use of parentheticals.